He's got a great deal of job interviews to attend, but come November challenger Paul Johnson hopes to be "hired" into U.S. Congress

By Bryon S. Houlgrave, Press News Editor

It's not so much a campaign trail as it is a series of job interviews. That is how independent democrat Paul W. Johnson of Decorah views his bid to oust Tom Latham, current U.S. Congressman of Iowa's Fourth House District.

On Sunday, Johnson told supporters at a house party hosted by State Representative Mark A. Kuhn (D) that there is a job opening in the fourth district and he wants to fill it.

"There is an opening, and the people of the district have a chance to hire who they want for the next two years to represent them," Johnson said.

Johnson, a long-time Iowa farmer and conservationist, has taken a grass roots approach to his campaign, choosing to buck the trend of hitting up special interest groups for donations. Instead, Johnson is looking to individuals for support.

In contrast to running a negative campaign involving media ads and commercials, the former Iowa legislator has invited incumbent Latham to engage in a series of public forums in which the two can speak out on issues Iowans of the fourth district are most concerned about.

In a letter to Latham published July 27 on Johnson's Web site (www.votejohnson.org), Johnson asks Latham to forgo the negative television advertisements and suggests holding a forum in each of the 28 counties that make up the fourth district.

"The voters of the fourth district deserve the opportunity to ask us tough questions in person," the letter stated. "After all, in a democracy the voters are the bosses, and candidates are applicants for a well-paying job."

Operating on a limited budget, Johnson and his team have spent the last two months mildly campaigning throughout the district. With four full months remaining before the Nov. 2 election, Johnson said his team of eight organizers are going to be hitting the campaign trail hard in the final stages.

Campaign manager John Friedrich is hopeful the forums will take off and some truths will be exposed to the voters of the district.

"The modern way of campaigning on television is superficial," Friedrich said, adding that the campaign team is looking for volunteers to host further house parties, similar to Sunday's in Charles City.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the current administration and how it has handled issues in the past, Johnson said one of his goals is to restore the meaning of 'conservative' when it's applied to the U.S. government.

"This government right now feels that they know what's best for the people, and that's wrong. This is a reversal; (the republicans) used to call themselves conservatives. I think that we're the ones who are the real conservatives right now," Johnson said.

When it comes to natural resources, Johnson believes the same holds true.

"You're not conservative when you rape and pillage the land the way it's being done today just to suck out a few drops of oil and natural gas."

Johnson, Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) from 1993-97 and Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from 1999-2000, said a true conservative "makes sure the next generation has opportunities and resources.

"It's not 'Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die,'" Johnson said. "I'm afraid that right now we have an administration that thinks they can go on merrily, without really thinking toward the future."

Johnson also criticized the No Child Left Behind Act, passed by the George W. Bush administration in January 2002, claiming that it forces schools to teach to narrow testing measures.

Johnson stressed the importance of renewing the commitment to education on a state and nationwide level.

"All children have the right to education, and our federal government does have a responsibility for K-12 education."

Johnson believes the financial friction faced by so many of Iowa's schools today can be resolved by providing them with the tools they need to operate and not be told when and where to use them.

"Government shouldn't do things for people but provide assistance and sometimes challenge them," Johnson said.

Johnson grew up in South Dakota, received a B.S. (1966) and M.S. (1969) in forestry from the University of Michigan. A believer in national service, he joined the Peace Corps in 1962, working and teaching forestry in Ghana, West Africa, until 1968.

In 1984, Johnson was elected to the Iowa Legislation, where he served three terms. In 1993, he was asked by President Bill Clinton to serve as Chief of the Soil Conservation Service.

Johnson continues to be a strong advocate for conservation in the United States and Iowa in particular.

"In this district, we have almost no parks or forests," Johnson said. "In our district, nearly 98 percent of the land is in use. We're probably one of the most developed districts in the country.

"We're the most productive land in the world agriculturally, yet we continue to simplify it more and more so that only corn and soybeans continue to grow here."

Johnson said that, by allowing some of the land to grow wild, Iowa will be a much richer place for people to live.

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Story Source: Charles City Press

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ghana; Election2004 - Johnson; Politics

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